LET ALL THE EARTH BE SILENT

Passage: Habakkuk 2:9-20

Key verse: 20

NIV

“Woe to him who builds(A) his house by unjust gain,(B)
    setting his nest(C) on high
    to escape the clutches of ruin!
10 You have plotted the ruin(D) of many peoples,
    shaming(E) your own house and forfeiting your life.
11 The stones(F) of the wall will cry out,
    and the beams of the woodwork will echo it.

12 “Woe to him who builds a city with bloodshed(G)
    and establishes a town by injustice!
13 Has not the Lord Almighty determined
    that the people’s labor is only fuel for the fire,(H)
    that the nations exhaust themselves for nothing?(I)
14 For the earth will be filled with the knowledge of the glory(J) of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.(K)

15 “Woe to him who gives drink(L) to his neighbors,
    pouring it from the wineskin till they are drunk,
    so that he can gaze on their naked bodies!
16 You will be filled with shame(M) instead of glory.(N)
    Now it is your turn! Drink(O) and let your nakedness be exposed[a]!(P)
The cup(Q) from the Lord’s right hand is coming around to you,
    and disgrace will cover your glory.
17 The violence(R) you have done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    and your destruction of animals will terrify you.(S)
For you have shed human blood;(T)
    you have destroyed lands and cities and everyone in them.

18 “Of what value(U) is an idol(V) carved by a craftsman?
    Or an image(W) that teaches lies?
For the one who makes it trusts in his own creation;
    he makes idols that cannot speak.(X)
19 Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’
    Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’(Y)
Can it give guidance?
    It is covered with gold and silver;(Z)
    there is no breath in it.”(AA)

20 The Lord is in his holy temple;(AB)
    let all the earth be silent(AC) before him.

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Footnotes
  1. Habakkuk 2:16 Masoretic Text; Dead Sea Scrolls, Aquila, Vulgate and Syriac (see also Septuagint) and stagger

Holy Bible, New International Version®, NIV® Copyright ©1973, 1978, 1984, 2011 by Biblica, Inc.® Used by permission. All rights reserved worldwide.
Source: BibleGateway

ESV

(A)“Woe to him who gets evil gain for his house,
    (B)to (C)set his nest on high,
    to be safe from the reach of harm!
10 You have devised shame for your house
    (D)by cutting off many peoples;
    you have forfeited your life.
11 For (E)the stone will cry out from the wall,
    and the beam from the woodwork respond.

12 (F)“Woe to him (G)who builds a town with blood
    and founds a city on iniquity!
13 Behold, is it not from the Lord of hosts
    that (H)peoples labor merely for fire,
    and nations weary themselves for nothing?
14 (I)For the earth will be filled
    with the knowledge of (J)the glory of the Lord
    as the waters cover the sea.

15 (K)“Woe to him (L)who makes his neighbors drink—
    you pour out your wrath and make them drunk,
    in order to gaze (M)at their nakedness!
16 You will have your fill (N)of shame instead of glory.
    (O)Drink, yourself, and show your uncircumcision!
(P)The cup in the Lord's right hand
    will come around to you,
    and (Q)utter shame will come upon your glory!
17 (R)The violence (S)done to Lebanon will overwhelm you,
    as will the destruction of the beasts that terrified them,
(T)for the blood of man and violence to the earth,
    to cities and all who dwell in them.

18 (U)“What profit is an idol
    when its maker has shaped it,
    a metal image, (V)a teacher of lies?
For its maker trusts in his own creation
    when he makes (W)speechless idols!
19 (X)Woe to him (Y)who says to a wooden thing, Awake;
    to a silent stone, Arise!
Can this teach?
Behold, it is overlaid with gold and silver,
    and (Z)there is no breath at all in it.
20 But (AA)the Lord is in his holy temple;
    (AB)let all the earth keep silence before him.”

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The Holy Bible, English Standard Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
Source: BibleGateway

1. Woes from the Holy God (9-17)

The Lord seeks justice. He pronounced woes on those who sought unjust gain at the expense of ruining people. He did so again to those who built cities with bloodshed. And he also pronounced woes to those who lived for their own pleasure but became shameful. The Lord wants the earth to be filled with his glory. But when men live for their own glory, they end in disgrace and under God’s judgment.

2. Woe to idol worshipers (18-2

)

The Lord is the creator of all things, He is the sovereign ruler. He alone is worthy of our worship. Idol worship is an abhorrent abomination in the eyes of the Lord. Worshiping idols of any kind is folly. The Lord is in his holy temple. When we consider the depths of his glory and mercy, we must be silent before him.

Prayer: Lord, protect my heart from idols. Help me to come to you with worship in my heart.

One Word: Worship the Lord